Report By Persian2English
Zahra Bahrami, the 45 year old Iranian-Dutch citizen and mother of two who was arrested during the 2009 Ashura protests (December 27, 2009), was hanged today.
Zahra Bahrami was executed even though her second case file with political charges was still opened and unresolved.
On August 16, 2010, branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court charged her with Moharebeh (enmity against God). She was detained since December 27, 2009 and spent a long duration of time in solitary confinement. Her other charges included “Acting against national security”, “Propaganda against the regime”, and “Membership in a royalist group”.
Last year she travelled to Iran to visit one of her children. Upon her arrest during post-election protests, Zahra Bahrami was held for months in the IRGC ward in Rajai Shahr ‘Gohardasht’ prison and ward 209 of Evin prison for interrogations.
In an interview with Rooz, Sharif-Razi said that all case files related to drug offences do not get sent to the Appeals Court. Instead, the cases are sent to Iran’s General Prosecutor and only he may make a decision on the verdict. Sharif-Razi explained that she was unable to appeal the sentence and the only chance of launching an investigation into the case was by receiving amnesty from the Clemency and Pardons commission.
Banafsheh Nayebpour, Zahra Bahrami’s daughter has stated in past interviews that the charges against her mother related to drug smuggling are completely baseless and all the confessions were extracted under torture. According to Banafesheh Nayebpour, her mother was guaranteed release if she made the false confessions. She also explained that the charges against her mother are politically motivated.
In the past year, the Islamic Republic of Iran has forced political prisoners to falsely confess by use of torture and empty promises. The executions that are carried out affect the overall political environment in Iran.
